Infectious enthusiasm

After over two decades of scant effectiveness against cancer, oncolytic viruses could be close to finding their place in immuno-oncology combination regimens, where they could both be potentiated by and improve response rates to checkpoint agents. Meanwhile, the next generation of viruses may become more potent on their own by doubling as gene therapy vectors to enable tissue-specific delivery of therapeutic proteins and nucleic acids.

Companies have been studying oncolytic viruses since the 1990s, but only one has been approved in the U.S. ...